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Part Two

The Responsibilities and Virtues of a Christian.

The second part of Moral Theology presents the responsibilities of a Christian and the corresponding to them particular actions and virtues, and also the study about sins. All the responsibilities of a Christian can be divided into three types: on the responsibilities to God (upward), the neighbor (outside) and to oneself (inward). Ap. Paul in the Epistle to Titus used this expression for this triple kind of responsibilities: denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Tit. 2:12). The triple moral attitude is indicated by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the commandment about love for God, and for the neighbor as for oneself (Math. 22:37-39).

1. Virtues in the Respect to God.

The responsibility of the reverent attitude to God.

All the responsibilities in the respect to God include the general concept of reverence or adoration of God. Reverence is acknowledgement and expression by a Christian of the unconditional dependence on God as on the highest Ruler and Creator of all, and the sheerest devotion to Him as to his father and Benefactor. It is not possible to imagine such relation on the earth, which would be equal to the relation between the man and God. Even the relation between the powerful king and the poorest poor is a very weak similarity of the relations between God and the man, since the terrestrial king, after presenting the poor with all his goods, did not bring him existence and cannot deliver to his soul eternal salvation or eternal death. But this is reported and brought to the man by God. This is why even the seraphims, according to proph. Isaiah (6:2-3), cover their faces, being unable to tolerate the sublimity of the Divine glory. This is why the apostle calls us, born on the earth, to serve God with reverence and godly fear (Hebr.12:28). But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word, — says the Lord through His prophet (Is. 66:2).

Internal and external piety.

If human nature is arranged so that the activity, both spiritual and physical, internal and external, are inseparably connected in it, and if God is the Creator not only of the soul, but also of the human body, then hence naturally follows that we must “glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:20). Thus, it is possible and necessary to respect the internal and external. One is inseparably connected with the other. Without the spiritual side, reverence would be the body without soul, lifeless, mechanical, having no price. It would be even hypocrisy, self-delusion; and therefore God through the prophet expresses indignation in the respect to such a divine service: This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me... But in vain they do worship me... (Is. 29:13; Math. 15:8). In the conversation with the Samaritan the Lord calls true worshippers those, who bow to God by the spirit and truth. But, on the other hand, without the outer or physical side, reverence would be incomplete, inoperative and it could not be strengthened in the man. The experience shows that the disregarding external means of expression of religious sensations (the cross sign, bow of the head, kneeling, etc.) usually are deprived of internal religiosity. And vice versa: those zealously and with sense using these means strengthen in themselves the internal religious mood. And it is natural, for indeed each spiritual act is more perfect, the more it finds the corresponding to it expression in his body and the outside world. At the same time each living being attempts to express himself in the outside; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Math. 12:34). Therefore there is no such religion on the earth, which would not have the exterior form of divine service. Abraham was chosen and led by God Himself, but wherever he came during his wanderings — everywhere he arranged the altar for God (Gen. 13, 18 and f.). The Son of God, Who came to the earth, was spiritual to the highest degree, but also He expressed His prayer with external signs (lifting the eyes up to the sky, by kneeling and looking above, John 17:1).

Virtues, expressing the internal reverence.

Since God is the highest good and the final goal of our desires, first He deserves that we most of all would love Him. Only with His assistance and guidance we can reach the indicated goal, then we must most of all trust Him and hope for Him. Since God is our highest Ruler and the infallible Truth, then we must have unconditional faith in Him. These are the three virtues, which express the internal reverence: faith, hope and love. They present the basis and essence of the whole Christian life. Ap. Paul treats them so — now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three. These three basic virtues introduced into the system of moralization blissful Augustine, after replacing with them four basic heathen virtues (temperantia, fortitud, justitia, prudentia). In the contrast to the latter, these three virtues are subsequently called theological virtues. If we focus attention on the content of the apostolic Epistles, then Ap. Paul can be called the apostle of faith, Ap. Peter — the apostle of hope, and Ap. John — the apostle of love.

Faith and its meaning.

We cannot enter into any relation with God, hope for God, love Him and pray to Him and so forth, if not we shall not, first of all, believe in Him. Therefore the apostle says that everyone, for he that cometh to God must believe; without faith it is impossible to please him (Hebr. 11:6). Аnd faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (11:1). In the contrast with the physical world, which is directly seen with our eyes, God (as our soul) is the invisible creature; but nevertheless we must be convinced in the truth of His existence, as we are convinced in the existence of the physical world. If our belief in the existence of the physical world comes with knowledge, then conviction in the existence of spiritual God comes together with faith.

Knowledge (by itself) does not have the character of a virtue, since it involuntarily imposed upon the man with his acquaintance with the external world; however, faith is a virtue (and responsibility), since it is the free acknowledgement of existence of invisible God and the truthfulness of everything reported to us in the Revelation. Therefore Ap. Paul tells about the obedience to faith (submissiveness, Rom. 1:5). He thanks God for the fact that the Romans, were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you (6:17). Faith possesses the element of love, since the religious faith has a personality as its object, i.e., personal God; and personality can and must be the object of love. Consequently, faith seizes all powers of the soul, it comes out of the depth of our essence, it sets in motion the mind, will and feeling, and is not only the cold acknowledgement or even only probable assumption, but is energetic, hot and complete, not requiring the artificial proofs of the logic, conviction in the truth of the One, in Whom we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Thou canst make me clean — here is the expression of the essence of faith, i.e., direct belief in the miraculous force of Christ.

But where does faith come from? Where is the basis of belief in the existence of God and in the truth of everything opened to us by God? The basis of faith is located in a certain mysterious connection of our soul with God and generally with the truth. On the word of Ap. John, it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6). In the view of this mysterious connection of a human soul with God the heathens as well are strongly drawn to God as to their original source. In the view of the same connection of the soul with the truth, generally, we frequently seemingly sense and guess the truth without excessive discussions on our scientific studies. But this feeling of existing and living among us God in the beginning is, naturally, unclear and unsteady. It is revealed and strengthened in the medium of the heathen world through the examination of the visible world, on the indication of Ap. Paul (Rom.1:19-20), and in the medium of the Christian world — by the study of the sincere Word. This Word is willingly accepted by the truthful person, i.e., listening to the primitive voice in the depth of his soul. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ tells the Pharisees: He that is of God heareth God's words (John 8:47) and Pilates: Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice (18:37).

For the strengthening of faith the scientific research of the truths of faith is necessary. The apostles call the Christians in their Epistles to be sound in the faith (Tit. 1:13), no…carried about with every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14), be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope (1 Pet. 3:15). The Lord Himself by no means required the blind, unaccountable faith in Himself; He constantly referred for the proof of the truth of His study to the beneficial character and height of His study (John 3:17-21), to His miraculous deeds (John 5:36), to His holy life (John 8:46), to the evidence of God-Father about His mission (John 5:32,37), to the prophecies of the Old Testament (John 5:39,46). It is as well necessary for the strengthening of faith to go through various events, both sad, and happy, which teach the man to feel on himself the hand of the invisible Ruler, taking care of our life. But the more a Christian is strengthened in the moral life, the more frees his soul from the fetters of this world and cleans his heart and, so, the more worthy he becomes of the mysterious unity with God, the more superfluous become all the outside reinforcements of his faith, and the stronger he believes, disregarding of all resistance and all the apparent contradictions of the mind. Pure by heart in this life already see God with the spiritual eye. Then faith becomes stronger than knowledge. Under the threat of tortures and death people renounced their knowledge (for example, Galileo); meanwhile no tortures and death could force the Christian martyrs to recant the faith.

If in faith the man acts together with omnipotent God, if he even acts due to the power of omnipotent God, then hence it is understandable, why the Lord Jesus Christ allotted to faith such force, that He considered everything to be possible for the believer: If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (Math.17:20). Ap. Paul depicts the extraordinary acts of faith in the 11^th chapter of the Epistle to Hebrews. The ancient righteous men, he says, by means of faith conquered reigns, built the truth, they got promises, blocked the mouths of lions, extinguished the force of fire, they avoided the point of a sword, they were strengthened in infirmity, they were strong in the war, drove away the regiments of strangers. Ap. John as well writes: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4). But if faith is such a lively and strong connection of the soul with God, that it becomes the starting point, which determines all thoughts and actions of the man and guides them to God and divine objects, then hence it is understandable, why the Lord and His apostles gave such an important significance to faith, that they placed on its dependence the fate and salvation of the man. To the question of the people: What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? — the Lord answered: this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent (John 6:28-29); He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life (John 3:36). Onto the question of the keeper of the prison: what must I do to be saved? — Ap. Paul and Silas answered: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:30-31). But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).